CH- 24

CH- 24
Nathan’s POV

I wished I could shut off the ringing in my ears. The headache was back, gnawing at me like a relentless predator—and this time, it was worse.

Two hours had passed since Lucas mentioned bringing Amelia into our mess, but Doctor Friggard wouldn’t hear of it.

“I’m telling you, Lucas, it’s a bad idea to involve anyone else in this,” he insisted, his voice low and urgent. “It’s not safe for the person, and it’s not safe for us. These are dangerous people we’re dealing with.”

“I know that,” Lucas shot back, frustration creeping into his tone. “But Amelia has a good head on her shoulders. She’s smart, and I trust her completely.”

“Who is she?” I asked, cutting through their debate. My mind felt like a jigsaw puzzle missing half its pieces, but even now, I knew involving someone new meant dragging them into the chaos swallowing me whole.

Lucas stepped closer, his expression softening as he tried to explain. “Her name is Amelia Benito. You employed her nine years ago, and she’s been one of your hardest-working staff ever since. Everyone who joins your company goes through her first—employees, clients, customers—you name it. She vets them all. What happened to you started at the launch; she knows everyone who attended. Whatever she knows might be useful to us. Plus, we need someone who can communicate with the outside world without raising suspicion. I’m already on the police’s radar—I was just invited for questioning.”

“And that’s exactly why we shouldn’t involve her!” Doctor Friggard interjected sharply. “She’s young, too young for this. We don’t want innocent lives caught up in whatever storm is brewing.”

Both pairs of eyes turned to me then, waiting for me to make the call. I hated being put in this position.

On one hand, I didn’t want to drag another soul into the nightmare I was living. On the other, I couldn’t deny how desperately we needed help. Before I could say anything, the world exploded around us.

A barrage of gunfire shattered the windows, sending shards of glass flying everywhere. “Get down!” Lucas shouted, lunging for Doctor Friggard, who’d been standing near the wall.

I hit the floor hard, pressing my face against the cold tiles as bullets tore through the room.

The deafening roar of the machine gun drowned out everything else—it must have gone on for ten minutes straight, though it felt like an eternity. When the shooting finally stopped, silence descended like a suffocating blanket.

“Oh, my God. What was that?” Doctor Friggard gasped, clutching his shoulder. Blood trickled steadily from a graze wound, staining his shirt.

“You’ve been shot,” Lucas said, trying to press down on the injury.

“Don’t worry, son. It’s just a graze,” the doctor muttered, wincing. “What the hell was that?”

I raised my head cautiously, staring at the shattered remains of the windows. Glass lay scattered across the floor, glittering ominously under the dim light.

“They’re either gone or coming in,” I said grimly, turning to Lucas. “They must have followed you here.”

Lucas looked furious. “Yes. They figured out where we are. Nathan, when I left earlier, did you find the bunker your father told you about?”

“Yes, it’s over there,” I replied quickly. “But we need to move fast.”

Just as we prepared to leave, footsteps echoed behind us. My heart pounded wildly in my chest.

“Stay put,” I whispered, gripping whatever makeshift weapon I could find. The tension in the air was unbearable, stretched taut like a bowstring ready to snap. Slowly, the footsteps faded away.

“Move now—quickly,” Lucas urged, and the three of us bolted toward the bunker door. As I reached for the handle, a tall man in a black suit emerged from the kitchen, firing directly at us. Lucas barely managed to slam the door shut before the bullets reached us.

Doctor Friggard sagged against the wall, breathing heavily. He looked like he might pass out any second. “Don’t faint on me, Doctor,” I said firmly, steadying him with both hands.

“This white room will make me pass out,” he muttered, taking deep breaths.

“We need to get downstairs,” I said, unlocking the lever that opened the hidden passage.

Once inside, I guided the doctor down the narrow staircase. Two minutes later, we were safely in the basement, the lights flickering to life as I flipped the switch.

“I hope they won’t figure this place out,” Lucas murmured, glancing nervously at the ceiling above us.

“Who could they be?” I asked, sinking into the reclining chair that sat casually in the corner of the basement. My mind raced with possibilities. “Could they be the same people who framed me?”

“Possibly,” Lucas mused, pacing anxiously. “Or they could be Mr Vander’s men. God, we’re so screwed.” He stopped abruptly, running a hand through his hair.

“Do you realize what this means? We can’t stay here—they know where we are. But more importantly, we need to figure out who we’re dealing with because it seems like we’re facing more than one enemy.”

“Alright, let’s bring her in,” I conceded reluctantly. Being shot at had forced my hand; I couldn’t afford to dismiss any options anymore.

“Why does it have to be her, Lucas? Can’t you think of anyone else? What’s so special about this woman?”

Lucas smiled faintly, recognizing the stubbornness in my tone—the same arrogance that often defined me. “Let me tell you something about nine years ago when you interviewed her. You gave her two pictures and asked her to analyze them within five minutes. Not only could she identify the nationalities of the people in the photos, but she also deduced their diets, professions, and even marital statuses. She’s brilliant at reading people. Plus, Amelia is one of the most hardworking and loyal employees you have in the company.”

“Well, I guess having her on board makes sense then,” I admitted grudgingly.

“She’ll help us crack this case,” Lucas agreed. “But first, we need to get out of here. Do we have a way to contact anyone on the outside?”

Doctor Friggard, who had been quiet until now, spoke up. “I have a burner phone we can use. Your regular line is probably tapped by now.” He winced, adjusting the pressure on his wound.

“You’re still bleeding,” Lucas said, pulling out his own phone to send a text to Amelia. “I’ll reach out to her. Hopefully, she responds soon.”

As Lucas typed furiously, I noticed him glance at me curiously. “What’s wrong?” he asked. My face must have given me away.

Peering into my phone, he saw the source of my unease—a text from a masked number.

"You were lucky this time; next time, not so much."